My least favorite experience was 7th grade math. At the beginning of the period the kids came in very slyly. And I was worried. One student finally blurt out, "Were having a fire drill!!" My instant response was...., "No were not!" Then the rest of the class was all in agreement that we indeed were having a drill. I panicked. Quickly I found the attendance sheet and took attendance, made sure I knew how many I was supposed to have. I questioned the kids about which direction to go and was surprised by the route they knew thinking there was a better one. As I questioned their responses, I didn't receive an answer because the alarm went off. Sure enough they were right as all the other students were headed in the same direction. It was crazy. We all made it to where we were supposed to be and all was well. Luckily for me the teacher left me short lessons for every period so I did not have to rush to get everything in! It was crazy though. Thank goodness the students knew more than the teacher!
Anyway, maybe this doesn't happen in all schools or maybe larger schools are better prepared for this. But my small private school needed/needs to work on their ability to inform teachers and substitutes the day of. Emails an hour before the drill is not helpful to a sub who doesn't always have access to email. I know I could go on and on about how the school needs to change but that is not productive. What I can talk about, however, is how I will be prepared for this in the future. Easy fix for substitutes, always ask the office if anything special is going on once you arrive. Make sure you know the ways out or the proper procedure.
Something I want to have in my classroom is called an ER Plan. This ER Plan will always be beside the entrance of the room. Within this folder will be all necessary information in case of emergency. A list of students (possibly first name only depending on school guidelines), a total number of how many students should be in the classroom at all times, and all necessary routes and procedures for drills and emergencies. Also, I will have a pen and possibly a whistle. This way if we just get in the class or are up doing crazy things, I can grab this and head out.
Additionally when teaching the students about emergency plans and routines, I will explain the ER Plan folder to them and how important it is for it to stay in its proper place. But if there is every a substitute or a visitor in charge of the room, the students will know that this folder should be taken in case of any emergency.
Oh yes, and of course I will have all of this information in my sub tub or folder that has all of my other lovely information a sub would need to know. But the point is in case of anything a more easily accessible folder of information will be ready at the door.
Do you do anything special with emergency information or to help prepare your substitutes for drills?
P.S. Shout out to Erin from Tales from Room 112 who is having a wonderful giveaway! She is giving away a polka dot themed classroom set. I LOVE polka dots and really hope to be a winner, but regardless of the giveaway you should go over and check out her blog. She has lots of wonderful things!! Another wonderful thing about Erin is that we share the same home state. OHIO!!
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